Squatters: The Other Philadelphia Story

Hotel Mokum

2024

Pak Mokum Terug is the name of a group of Amsterdam activists that refuse to accept that the basic right to housing no longer appears to apply. The group’s name means “Take Back Amsterdam,” Mokum being the traditional nickname for a capital city in which today, for more and more people, a home is becoming unaffordable. Against this background, Hotel Mokum reports on the squatting of a dilapidated hotel in the city center, narrated in the voice of a fictitious activist.

The Shooting on Mole Street

1998 · ★ 8

On March 1, 1996, 15-year-old Shafeeq Murrel was killed on the street in South Philadelphia — innocently caught in the crossfire between rival pairs of crack dealers out for revenge. Shafeeq’s murder was one of 435 in Philadelphia that year, and it was soon shelved as a cold case. Then, detectives David Baker and Julie Hill took it on— two middle-aged white cops working a Black neighborhood in their battered Plymouth Gran Fury. Filmed like a taut police procedural, THE SHOOTING ON MOLE STREET chronicles the investigation, as Baker and Hill knock on doors, shake down dealers, and beg, threaten and cajole residents in an effort to get someone — anyone — to talk. Baker rejects any accusation of police racism in the unsolved murders of young Black men. Isn’t he out here trying to close the case? But racism is more complicated than intent.

Where the Water Goes

In Tacony Creek Park, home to one of Philadelphia's lesser-known watersheds, Julie Slavet and Malcolm Bundy reflect on their involvement with and love for the park, made bittersweet by the continuous and increasing amount of pollution that flows into its river. Combined wastewater and stormwater sewage outfalls have affected Philadelphia's rivers for years, but as one innovative program mitigates this for the Schuylkill and Delaware, Tacony gets left behind. Scientist Laura Toran educates the audience on green infrastructure and its potential positive impacts, while Slavet and Bundy discuss how they're still waiting—not without hope—for those impacts to reach their community.

Wild Lilly

2011 · ★ 7.3

Lilly is nine years old and lives with her mother and brothers Robbin and Melvin in a squatter community deep in the woods.

The Swede of Philadelphia

2025

Pelle Lindbergh was one of the rising stars of the NHL after winning the Vezina trophy (best goalie in the NHL) and leading the Philadelphia Flyers to the finals, both in 1985. At 26, he seemingly had his whole life ahead of him. On November 10th, 1985 Pelle crashed his Porsche in Somerdale, NJ and died the following day. Two others survived the accident. "The Swede of Philadelphia" is an in-depth and intense look at the "goalie, the man, the decision." Acclaimed director Charlie Minn(Lionsgate, ID channel and Amazon Prime video) interviews many of Pelle's teammates, team staff and journalists to shape every aspect of a hockey player that paved the way for future European and Swedish goalies to follow their dreams into the NHL.

Dad's Stuffings

2024 · ★ 10

After more than 100 years in business, an Italian family-owned butcher shop that is a staple of South Philadelphia faces a crossroads and an uncertain future.

How to Squash a Squat

1989

1989, New York City's Alphabet City and East Village. A year after the Tompkins Square Park Riot, squatters and their community allies try to stop the demolition of their building after an arson. Police forces occupy the neighborhood while the demolition continues. A portrait of an East Village that is no more. An homage to the voices and sounds of a neighborhood before its gentrification.

Philadelphia by the Delaware

2025 · ★ 10

In wake of the Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost trade, a fan comes to terms with their new reality during a journey to the sea.

Berlin Utopiekadaver

2024

A taxi drives through the city of Berlin. Its driver is a punk, left and a well-known figure in the autonomous scene. The stations of his trip are the most important places of the autonomous scene: all in the struggle for survival. The last evictions have not yet been processed and the next ones are coming right up.

Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles

2011 · ★ 6.6

An urban mystery unfurls as one man pieces together the surreal meaning of hundreds of cryptic tiled messages that have been appearing in city streets across the U.S. and South America.

Schade, daß Beton nicht brennt

1981 · ★ 10

A documentary about the clashes between squatters and the police in Berlin in early 1981. Despite the absence of commentary, this is an openly partisan film that aims less for political analysis than for an up-close description of the situation and mood.

The Philly Special

2026

The moment that propelled the Eagles to an upset win over the Patriots for their first Super Bowl title in 2018. ‘The Philly Special’ explores how a bold play call during Super Bowl LII became a cultural symbol that captured the spirit, resilience, and underdog identity of the Philadelphia Eagles and their city.